Man of Modesty; T.J. Hill Making Big Plays for Gladiators
February 27, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Las Vegas Gladiators News Release
By Tom Ando, LVGladiators.com
For the first time in franchise history, the Las Vegas Gladiators held an opponent to under twenty points Sunday when they soundly defeated the Grand Rapids Rampage 51-14 on the road for their first victory of the 2004 season. Leading the way for the Gladiators defense was standout T.J. Hill, who was making his first start at Defensive Specialist on the season.
Saying that Hill excelled at the position would be an understatement, or perhaps the position itself may have had the wrong title as he was more of a Defensive Perfectionist than he was a Defensive Specialist posting 12 solo tackles.
"He did a great job," said Gladiators Head Coach Frank Haege on Hill's biggest day as a pro. "He's physical and he's aggressive and he is so skillful."
None of these attributes are new for Hill. He has excelled at every sport on every level dating back to his days at Paterson Eastside High School in New Jersey where he was the captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. Big games are nothing new to Hill either. In a high school basketball game, he set a school record by making ten three pointers in one game.
"That was a lot of fun," said Hill, who was also the Academic Student of the Year as a senior. "That day I felt like I was throwing the ball into a damn swimming pool, I was just throwing it up there and it was just going in. That was a great day."
After his record setting days at Paterson Eastside, Hill, who was heavily recruited, went to The Ohio State University, but decided to transfer to Division IAA Northeastern University without ever playing a down for the Buckeyes.
"I chose Northeastern pretty much because of its academic program, and the coaching staff was a good group of guys so I felt like it was the right situation for me," said Hill who graduated with an undergrad in Psychology and is still working for a degree in Sports Technology. "It's a fun atmosphere, and it's a great athletic institution, as far as the coaching staff and the support we get from the school."
What the school got in return for its support was one of the top free safeties in Division 1AA for four seasons. In his collegiate career as a Husky, Hill had 245 tackles and 15 interceptions and was named to the All-A10 team in two consecutive seasons.
Following his tenure with Northeastern, Hill went undrafted, but not unnoticed and was signed as a free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs, only to be released in training camp. Hill would then be signed by the New York Giants, and although they were impressed, they decided to release him, but put in a good word with the Gladiators, then located in New Jersey.
Once the team moved to Las Vegas, Hill was adapting so quick that after week one, he was activated from the practice squad and never looked back making 73 tackles, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
"He's a great player and a great competitor," said Haege. "He's a pleasure to be around. He's a guy that doesn't have an ego, and he just wants to play. He'll do whatever is asked of him. He'll play DS; he'll play two-way, or even sit on the bench if the team would need him to. Whatever you ask him to do; he'll do it and do a great job at it. He just adds a little fire and emotion to things."
Fire and emotion aren't just terms that can describe Hill, but the 2004 Gladiators in general. With the team retooling during the off season, they became immediate contenders, but lost their first two games on bad breaks before getting in the win column on Sunday.
In the Gladiators three games this season, the defensive backs, led by Hill have excelled, holding opposing Offensive Specialists Damian Harrell of Colorado, Chris Jackson of Los Angeles and Steve Smith of Grand Rapids to a combined 16 receptions for 114 yards and four touchdowns.
"We've just had some good preparation and good game plans going into those games as far as studying and knowing our opponent," said Hill, who has combined for 19 tackles in those three games. "It all starts up top with the coaches and then just knowing the other teams' personnel. It's a matter of studying their film and their route combinations, just knowledge of the game."
After a solid performance by Hill in Grand Rapids, the Gladiators traded Defensive Specialist partner Jeroid Johnson to Los Angeles, which means it is time for the 23 year old to show the world what he's got.
"He'll pretty much fill that void and I think he's more than ready to do that," said Haege.
Not only is he ready to fill the void, Hill also ready to get his chance to make it back to the NFL, which is the ultimate goal for the enthusiastic leader of the Gladiators defensive backfield.
"I think I will make it back, it's just a matter of getting the right opportunity."
If the big plays continue in Las Vegas throughout the 2004 season, T.J. Hill may see that opportunity sooner than expected.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from February 27, 2004
- John Elway to appear on NBC as guest studio analyst - AFL I
- L.A. Avengers sign NFL veteran Jason Moore - Los Angeles Avengers
- Destroyers add Venisee to active roster - Columbus Destroyers
- Caldwell placed on IR, Rush brings Allen back - Chicago Rush
- Road, sweet road - Georgia Force
- Man of Modesty; T.J. Hill Making Big Plays for Gladiators - Las Vegas Gladiators
- Philadelphia Soul acquire OL/DL La'Zerius White - Philadelphia Soul
- Crush activate stukes - Colorado Crush
- Time Warner To Broadcast Cobras Home Game - Carolina Cobras
- John Elway to appear as AFL on NBC guest studio analyst - AFL I
- Rush news - Chicago Rush
- Must-see matchups: week four - AFL I
- Quick hitters: week four - AFL I
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
